Italy honors WWII military internees with Medals of Honor

The President of the Italian Republic has conferred Medals of Honor upon Italian Military Internees (IMI) from the Brindisi and Molise regions to honor their refusal to collaborate with Nazi forces and the Italian Social Republic following the armistice of September 8, 1943.

In the province of Brindisi, 27 citizens are being recognized for choosing deportation and internment in Nazi concentration camps over joining the Nazi-fascist regime. The honors include individuals from the city of Brindisi and a significant group of 18 awardees from Oria. The ceremony aims to highlight the moral choice of these soldiers who endured forced labor and imprisonment.

In Campobasso, 13 individuals from the Molise region were honored during a ceremony at the Prefecture. The medals were presented to family members to commemorate the suffering and dignity of those deported to German camps. This initiative aligns with the establishment of the “Day of the Italian Internees in German Concentration Camps during the Second World War,” a day intended to preserve the historical memory of these soldiers for future generations.